WHO I AM

If I were a Game of Thrones character, my prior professional titles would include: Server of Ice Cream, Fabricator of Advertising Fictions, Corrector of Misspelled Words, Counselor of Handi-capable Youth, Purveyor of Books, Seller of Toys, Queen of Office Dwellers, and lastly, Information Goddess.   My current titles are:  Lady of House Rubey, Mother of Untamed Ginger, Mother of Danes, Collector of Crap, Connoisseur of Expletives, and finally, Artist at Xanaru, Writer at Substack, and general Fuckabout. (i.e. one who just sort of … fucks about. For a living).

HOW I GOT HERE

Before recognizing the Artist/Writer/Fuckabout triumvirate as my true calling, I spent decades searching for meaningful and fulfilling employment, all the while, battling panic disorder, agoraphobia, and the twin demons of anxiety and depression.

I won those battles, for the most part, by realizing that I did better when I saw them as an alarm system to be heeded instead of an enemy to be vanquished. I’m not saying anxiety and depression are welcome visitors, but when they come knocking, I take a deep breath and reluctantly let them in because they only turn up when I need to know that something vital is missing in my life. That doesn’t happen much nowadays thanks to my adorable/adoring Hubby, our wise and wonderful daughter, our preposterous dog and naked cat, all basking in the warm embrace of a picturesque mountain town full of pretentious douchebags just like me. These are the ridiculous, maddening, scary, hilarious, sappy experiences that I write about on the Xanaru.com Substack.

WHERE I’M GOING (PLEASE TAG ALONG)

My hope is to use my art and writing to build a vibrant community of weirdos, loons and witty misfits. I want Xanaru to be a launching point for friendships and creative collaborations and if I’m being honest, some snarky debates because I enjoy those too.

At xanaru.shop,  I will keep delighting clients with unique, hand-painted, customized anything-their-hearts-desire -- bags, shoes, jackets, wallets -- whatever makes them smile and makes them the envy of Instagram.

At xanaru.com (Substack) I will write diverting and delightful stories like That Time I Nearly Killed 12 Girls at a Birthday Party and How to Electrocute Your Sister in Law. Readers will comment, share opinions and banter back and forth; eventually our society catches the eye of a book publisher which leads to a massively best-selling humorous memoir and grows our community exponentially until we take over the world. In a good way, not a sinister way with maniacal finger-tenting or weird, hairless cats.​

And that is how my work brings about world peace -- by making people smile with whimsical artwork and my quest for happiness and connection through stories,, Great Danes, naked weirdo alien cats and indiscriminate swearing.